By Joseph Morales

    The BallPark Station on the Staten Island Railway(SIR) is a station north of the SIR’s terminus at the St.George Ferry Terminal next to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark and the Empire Outlets. This station had opened on June 24, 2001 in coordination with the beginning of the season for the now defunct  Staten Island Yankees baseball team, the former Short Season A affiliate of the New York Yankees, that served to transport riders to baseball games at the 7,000-seat stadium. The station only served trains on game days.

                   Unfortunately, this station was closed in 2010 due to the economic impact of the Great Recession on MTA finances which included a deficit of over a billion dollars. Now, the station is completely abandoned, despite the fact that it looks like a completely functional train station from the outside, with signs still posted for the station along with a platform that looks like nothing has changed. Riders going to the ballpark as well as other destinations in St.George besides the ferry must walk through the large, bustling St. George Terminal in addition to 6 minutes of additional walk time on Bay St before reaching the ballpark. For some residents and destinations, neat the northern tip of St.George, they are already a 15 minute walk from what would be the BallPark station and must walk an even further distance to access the SIR to go further into Staten Island.  This station was also an accessible station, so the station being in service full-time could make it easier for those with disabilities in to use the SIR. 

                   Though the Staten Island Yankees are still defunct, an Atlantic League team called the Staten Island FerryHawks is now playing in the park. This team may attract more fans and thus more railway riders because the caliber of play in the Atlantic League is considered higher than that of the New York Penn League, in which the Staten Island Yankees played in and generally may have more players closer to the major league level than the former team did. According to 2019 attendance tables from BallparkDigest, most Atlantic League teams had higher average attendance numbers than New York Penn League teams.

                    The station was an accessible station via an elevator that still stands to this day with signage. It is on the northern end of the station at Richmond Ave/Hamilton Av, a 7 min walk to the St.George Station not including walking through the ferry terminal, which may be challenging for those with mobility disabilities due to the crowds especially during peak hours for the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan as the station is located within the terminal.

The station is also located in closer proximity to the ferry terminal for the NYC Ferry St.George route to Battery Park City and Midtown 39th St which is ADA-accessible. This terminal would be located right outside the BallPark station and would allow for easy connection if opened. Though it is also close to the St.George station, access to Wall St. Entrance will make for less crowding and easier accessibility. To drive to the ferry terminal can cost, $9.50 for commuter parking and $149/month for parking with an NYC Ferry Commuter Pass. Staten Islanders who want to avoid a long but do not want to spend that kind of money on parking might benefit from being able to take the train to get to the NYC Ferry.

                     In addition to accessibility the station would provide stronger access to numerous key community destinations. According to the Staten Island Railway Report written by State Sen. Diane J. Savino from Staten Island in 2013, high school students rode the SIR in great numbers. The BallPark Station would provide substantially more convenient access to Curtis High School(2,455 students) in the St.George neighborhood which is among the largest schools on Staten Island. Such a station might also be preferred by riders to access destinations such as The Staten Island 9/11 Memorial, Richmond County Courts/Offices, etc. Residents in the northern portion of the St. George neighborhood would also have much faster access to rail transit linking the St.George community to the rest of Staten Island’s East Shore.

            In addition to existing destinations, Staten Island politicians as well as the New York City Economic Development Corporation(NYCEDC) have expressed desires to develop at the site of what was supposed to be the NY Wheel which is directly adjacent to the abandoned rail station. The wheel would have been the world’s tallest observation wheel and possibly even a world famous attraction. Though this project has been abandoned, the NYCEDC will soon issue a RFP(Request For Proposals) for another major development project in the near future. In addition, the new River North Apartment complex is being constructed just a few blocks street from the station. The complex will include three apartment buildings totaling 524 units of which at least 20% would be considered affordable units. The development would also include retail space along and landscaped outdoor area. The retail space will include a daycare along with another retail option or options. Two public spaces will be built, with one being for leisure and one being for activities. with some . The fact that many of these residents may move in without vehicles increases the need for transit near the complex, something the Ballpark SIR station can help provide. Another smaller residential building is being constructed directly across the street form the station.

                 You may be wondering, if the station is still standing and its existence would benefit many, why is it not open? Part of the answer lies in cost. Event hough, the station still stands intact, NYC Subway operating costs are about $15.10 per mile and $275 per hour as of October 2017, so the costs of running the trains an extra station as (the last stop on the SIR northbound is St.George) may still cost the MTA a significant amount of money, that it may not recoup as running public transit rarely if ever turns a profit. Before operating even becomes a question, there may be engineering constraints to reopening the station due to its existing infrastructure capacity along with its abandonment for such a long period of time. Like many abandoned subway stations citywide the Ballpark SIR station has only been occasionally used to store trains during rush hours since its closure in 2010.

It remains to be seen what may happen to this station, hopefully it will be a good use. Depending on the direction of the area’s development, it just may reopen as a full-time rail station someday.

Acknowledgements 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “2010-NYC Transit Service Reductions.” Archive, 27 January 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20101125214330/http://mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/100125_1031_service2010-nyct.pdf. Accessed 11 February 2023.

Ballpark Digest Editors. “2019 Affiliated Attendance by Average.” Ballpark Digest, 9 September 2019, https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/09/09/2019-affiliated-attendance-by-average/. Accessed 11 February 2023.

Reichard, Kevin. “2019 Independent Baseball Attendance by League.” Ballpark Digest, 23 September 2019, https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/09/23/2019-independent-baseball-attendance-by-league/. Accessed 11 February 2023.

State Senator Diane J. Savino. “Staten Island Railway Rider Report.” The New York State Senate, 2013, https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/articles/attachments/Savino%20Staten%20Island%20Railway%20Report.pdf. Accessed 11 February 2023.

New York City Department Of Education. “Curtis High School (31R450).” NYC MySchools, 2022, https://www.myschools.nyc/en/schools/high-school/31R450/. Accessed 11 February 2023.

Porpora, Tracey. “Exclusive: Any hope of a smaller NY Wheel is now dead; NYC terminates lease.” SILive.com, 3 February 2023, https://www.silive.com/news/2023/02/exclusive-any-hope-of-a-smaller-ny-wheel-is-now-dead-nyc-terminates-lease.html. Accessed 11 February 2023.

Liotta, Paul. “City Council approves revised 524-unit River North project with first rezoning of its kind on Staten Island.” SILive.com, 10 November 2021, https://www.silive.com/news/2021/11/city-council-approves-revised-700-unit-river-north-project-for-staten-island.html. Accessed 11 February 2023.

Levy, Alon. “NYC subway operating costs: an analysis.” Curbed NY, 13 October 2017, https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/13/16455880/new-york-city-subway-mta-operating-cost-analysis. Accessed 11 February 2023.